


A Jungle of Nightmares

by Banda_Panda8



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Etho has a nightmare, Grian just wants Etho to be okay, M/M, NHO, Not sure though, The jungle is alive, also general fear and panic, but not technically i guess, help i can't stop writing Gritho, i still dont know how to tag things, i think I've tagged suffiently, i wrote this on mobile so i hope it formatted correctly, just pretend that Etho doesn't live in a jungle, more like a nightmare, season 7, small tw for blood/broken bones, sort of character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:08:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24514360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Banda_Panda8/pseuds/Banda_Panda8
Summary: Etho typically leaves before dark, but Grian is just too cute and he can't bring himself to leave. So he stays. Not the best idea when he is still afraid of the jungle at night, but he can't let Grian know so he stays.
Relationships: Grian/Etho
Comments: 4
Kudos: 164





	A Jungle of Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, I know that Etho's season 7 base is in a jungle as well, so for the purposes of this story let's pretend it's not. I totally planned for that and definitely didn't write half of it and then realize and wonder how I was gonna play that off. 
> 
> Aside from that, another Gritho fic! I've also got a few more stories in the works which are going to feature all of the hermits!

Etho knew he should get going. He loved hanging out with Grian, but he always made it a point to leave before it got dark. He hadn't told Grian why yet, and the curly haired hermit never really questioned it, so Etho never elaborated.  
Etho glanced outside and saw the sun dipping lower behind the trees. This was typically the time that he'd be back in his own base, far away from the looming trees and dense canopy, but he couldn't bring himself to interrupt Grian's story. Grian was doing his best to catch Etho up on all the events and mishaps that occurred with the hermits during season 6, so Grian had gone into a barrage of stories about everything. He told the story of the head hunt he created, about him meeting Zedaph for the first time and thinking that he actually sounded like Death in real life, the entire mess that was the prank war, and finally to the current story of when he accidentally broke Sahara with a potato. He looked up into Grian's eyes as he told the story. The builder was so animated when he talked and Etho loved seeing it. It was almost as if Grian was able to transport himself back in time and relive the events he spoke of. He closed his eyes and listened to more of Grian's story. Them sitting together on Grian's bed with Etho's head resting on his lap almost makes him forget he is in a jungle. Almost.

"So by the time Iskall and Mumbo had found the original potato I had accidentally thrown another one in. So, note to future you, don't ever let me near redstone unless you distract me with dancing parrots." Grian finished his story and looked down at Etho and gave him a small kiss of the forehead. "Hey sleeping beauty, what're you still doing here? Not that I mind, but you typically leave for home by now." Etho's eyes snapped open and he glanced towards the window. Over the course of Grian's story the sun had completely vanished and all you could see was the dark outline of the trees. 

"Oops, guess I dozed off a bit and stopped paying attention to the time." As he said this he really hoped that his voice didn't betray how nervous he was feeling. When Grian just chuckled Etho internally sighed with relief. He knew he should tell Grian about it, but he couldn't bear to see the smaller hermit worry about him because of it. Etho made his way to the door with Grian in tow, but as soon as he opened it he regretted it. The horde of mobs that had grown outside of Grian's hobbit hole immediately turned towards them. Etho tried to get out of the door and take off before the mobs did any damage, but he was caught by Grian's hand on his chest and heard the door slam.

"Oh no you don't! You are not going out there with that many mobs." Grian stood between Etho and the door with his arms crossed, "You step out this door and they'll kill you."

"And then I'll respawn back at my house, problem solved." Etho tried to shoulder his way past Grian, but Grian was very good at being stubborn. It took all of Etho's self control to not pick Grian up, deposit him on the other side of the room and make a run for it. 

"You'll respawn alright, but then who's gonna get your stuff? Unless you can give me a very good reason for going back there right this second I'm sure you'll be perfectly fine sleeping here." Grian huffed at him and he started to feel a bit guilty. He was only trying to get Grian not to worry, but in doing so he made Grian worry anyway. Steeling his nerves Etho finally responded to Grian's demands.

"Alright, alright. You win. I knew you could be stubborn, but you turned into a real gremlin there. Maybe Doc was right about you." He chuckled as he grabbed Grian in a slight headlock and ruffled his hair. Grian's laughter filled the room as they shuffled toward the bed, neither realizing how tired they already were. They both fell down on the bed, not bothering to get into pajamas. They ended up laying on the bed to where they both had their heads in the middle of the bed, Grian's feet near the pillow and Etho's hanging off the end. Etho started to relax a lot more about staying the night in the jungle base. After all, one night couldn't be that bad right? 

Right?

~~

Etho was running through a jungle. 

He was running and running and running, and his lungs were burning, but he had to keep running. The three members of the nHo ran as fast as they could away from the darkness and vines that chased them. After being woken up by a growling that was far too loud for any animal or mob to have made they had to pry Bdubs away from Doc's house. It had already been halfway taken over by the jungle but they hadn't seen their half creeper friend emerge from it. Etho knew that logically the best chance for Doc to be okay was for all of them to escape and come back looking for him, but that didn't stop him from wanting to charge back into the house with reckless abandon just like Bdubs. When he finally got Bdubs away from the house all three of them started running. Bdubs was running with pure pain of a possibly lost friend. Beef was running with a pure fear that more than one of them would go missing tonight. 

Then there was Etho. Etho was running with pure determination to get out of there as fast as he could, and to make sure his friends did too. They all ran for what seemed like miles, their legs and lungs burning like the Nether had taken up residence inside their bodies. They were all about to collapse and accept their fate when they finally saw him. Bdubs ran a bit faster at the sight of Doc standing by the edge of the jungle. He must've gotten out before the others and went to look for help. He could hear Doc screaming at them.

"Run faster! You have to run!/Etho wake up!/You can make it!" Etho couldn't figure out why Doc's voice sounded slightly British some times, but then again Etho was being chased by a living jungle, so Doc could sound Russian for all he cared. They all ran as hard as they could, but Doc never seemed to get any closer. No matter how much they ran, how fast they ran, they couldn't reach Doc. Something in the back of Etho's mind told him that they wouldn't be able to, that this was going to be the last Doc saw of them, but he dismissed that thought as fast as it had popped up. He had to make sure his friends were safe. 

He heard the snapping of vines at their feet and then a thud. Despite his mind screaming at him to stop then and there, to go back for whichever of his friends fell his legs wouldn't listen. All he could do was turn his head around and watch as he saw Bdubs getting tangled in a mess of vines and Etho was powerless to save him. Bdubs was pulled deeper into the jungle and Etho could feel his heart breaking for his friend. The NHO would never be the same after today, but he knew that he and Beef had to keep running. Doc was still standing at the edge of the jungle and his voice sounded like it was coming from all around Etho. He sounded like a broken record, just repeating the same thing over and over again.

"Run faster! You have to run!/Etho please wake up, it's only a dream!/You can make it!" The British voice was getting louder, but he couldn't dwell on that now. They ran a little farther, but they couldn't get closer to Doc. He could hear Beef sobbing next to him and tears threatened to escape Etho's eyes as well. The threatening tears mixed with the burning in his lungs and he could feel that the strain on his body was becoming unbearable. He pushed through the pain and called upon the last reserves of his strength to try and push his way farther towards Doc. 

All of his adrenaline was tearing his muscles and he was beginning to lose feeling in his legs, but they still kept running. He couldn't hear Beef panting anymore, and he didn't want to turn around to investigate why. His mind was screaming at him that he already knew why he couldn't hear Beef, but he turned his head anyway. He turned his head at the exact moment that Beef's face was getting over taken by the vines. He turned back towards Doc and finally he could see that he was getting closer to the edge of the jungle. Etho jumped out to grab for Doc's hand, and their fingertips touched for a split second before the vines wrapped around his feet. Doc screamed. There were no words, just a gutteral noise that continued until his voice was raw. 

Etho was pulled back into the jungle. He landed on the ground with a thud and felt his back being scraped up by the rough terrain. He struggled against the vines until it felt like his ankles would break, and then he gave up. He let his head fall and looked up into something he definitely didn't think was in the jungle. A person, seemingly floating above him. He dissmissed it as just an overexhaustion fueled hallucination and let his head fall to the side where he saw Beef's apron and Bdubs's headband. The apron still had the stains of dried blood on it, and the headband looked worn beyond it's years. Knowing that this was jis last chance to leave something of his behind for the other hermits, he reached up and took off his mask. He layed it next to the apron and headband and let himself be taken by the vines. He looked up at the face that was still above him. It was reaching out to him and he figured that this was his way to the next life. He finally let the tears fall and accepted that this was the end. He reached up and took the hand of the floating being and felt himself be pulled into it's arms. 

~~ 

Etho felt his body jerk awake, still convulsing with sobs. He didn't realize where he was, but then he felt the familiar feeling of arms in a soft red sweater wrapped around him. He tightened his grip on the arms and cried into the chest of Grian. He still felt the pain from the dream, and could hear Grian repeating the same words over and over again.

"It's alright Etho. You're safe now, I won't let anything happen to you." His sobbing slowed and he started to get his breath back. He wrapped his arms around Grian and finally started to feel safe again. All he wanted to do was stay like that, wrapped in Grian's arms and knowing that things were okay. 

"Please stay with me. I don't want to go back to that nightmare." Etho whispered, and Grian silently nodded.


End file.
